Nial in America 2007/08: Student Life...

It's 11.45am, 36 degrees outside and I am currently sitting in Starbucks in the University Library pictured above. It's a tough life but someone has got to do it! Excuse the Marquee in the middle of the picture but I was walking towards it earlier and thought a snap with the phone was in order.

So over the past couple of days I have been upto quite a bit, between sorting out classes, watching 'Jaws' in the pool and going to a new Church it has been quite eventful! Unfortunately not as many pictures has been taken since Friday just the odd few and I will upload them in due course.

On Saturday I woke up at 7.15am to watch the Rangers match online. Being in America for a year means I have to adapt to a few new things, not being able to see Rangers play is one of them. But where there is a will, there is a way, and through modern technology and Chinese television I can watch Rangers, although it may be during absurd hours during the day. With a 2-1 victory and staying top of league it set me up for another pleasant day ahead.

After the match I made my way downstairs to do my washing and drying another new task to myself which I am slowly adapting to! haha, Whilst my clothes were in the machines I watched the Arsenal match online also, a great thing about the University is that everywhere is wireless so you can use the internet anywhere on campus for free. So doing the washing isn't as boring and repititive as it sounds. After my washing was completed and tidied away I made my way over to the cafeteria for some 'Brunch'. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not a breakfast person and it is a task in itself to eat breakfast early in the morning although if someone was to offer me an 'Ulster Fry' over here I would bite there arm off! haha

After 'brunch' I made my way to the West Town mall, it's a great shopping centre and would put any centre back home to shame by it's cleanliness and customer service, check it out at http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=202
I had to buy a few things so by going to the mall for Saturday afternoon enabled me to buy the items and also enabled me to relax as well. I finished my time in the mall off with my Korean roomate 'Kevin', we went to 'Ruby Tuesday' an American Steak House, it was great! A 12oz Steak for about £6 plus all the free re-fills you wanted topped off a good visit to the mall.

After a short bus ride back to campus I got changed and made my way down to the pool as an event was planned were the students could go into the pool and watch a movie. A giant Cinema screen was built beside the pool and the film 'Jaws' was shown from 9.oopm. It was a good way to meet new people and eat free food. Also it was under a full moon so it was quite picturesque as well! (see picture above.)

After the pool movie I made my way upto my room were I watched some episodes of the TV drama 'Heroes' it really is a great show and by watching all the episodes online and free of charge makes it even more enjoyable. After watching two episodes it was time to enter the land of nod.

On Sunday I had arranged to meet a friend called Karen whom I met on Thursday night, she was giving me a lift to Church at 9.00am. The Church I decided to go to is called Central Barptist Church of Bearden, it seemed the most welcoming out of all the available churches I could of decided to have went to. It is a really big church with a big congregation. And the Church Orchestra alone has over 50 members. It is not the stereotypical American church with 100 people dancing and shouting around the Pulpit (something I want to see before I leave) it is quite reserved and the only way I could describe it would be like my own Church in back in Balymena with the same sort of music and readings also. The rest of Sunday consisted of me maxing and relaxing, reading and going on the net.

Monday came and my first full week of classes started. Another extremely warm day was spent studying and meeting some more of my new classmates. All in all another good day at UT.

I will now upload some pictures I have taken with my phone, I have just bluetoothed them onto the PC so some may have been taken in my first few weeks here.

This is a view of the New York Skyline from Newark International Airport.

Whilst I was waiting for my bags at the Knoxville Airport I received my first Welcome!

It's not exactly Ibrox although going to Football matches is still high in my priorties over here, even more so when it is the University Womans Soccer team!

It was the opening of the new 'Soccer Stadium' on Campus, a Stadium which seats over 6,000 people. Ironically the woman sitting behind me in the maroon top was shouting at the players for being lazy.........The picture says it all.

On my second Sunday here the Internationl House arranged a trip to the Museum of Appalachia, it's basically a museum which shows how people lived from days of olde'. I found it interesting as you could relate the Appalacian People's lifestyle to that of Ulster Scots, and many reports have been published highlighting the similarities. It was interesting to note how the farming lifestyles were so similar. Pictures -